Just Kidding
by jam2599
Summary: KuroFai, SS. The crew ends up in Kurogane's Japan. Tomoyo is engaged. Faye is acting stranger and stranger. Who is Yuuto? Who is Tomoyo's fiance? Can Kurogane stay with his Princess?
1. Chapter 1

Pre-story note:

I don't like to see Japanese words or titles being used in English-language fanfiction, so I've converted Faye's nicknames for Kurogane. You'll see this throughout the story.

I did keep Sakura's name for Syaoran ("Syaoran-kun") because I couldn't think up a good enough English equivalent.

This story will take the crew into Kurogane's world, where he finds that Tomoyo is engaged. He also becomes increasingly troubled by Faye's odd behavior.

This is basically KuroFai and SS. There's another couple but I don't want to spoil it. No KuroTom, for the love of god.

End Pre-story note

Just Kidding

"Mokona Modoki can't wait!"

Kurogane mocked the white manjuu in his head as it swept them away from the world they were in. Every "adventure" was the same: look for feather, defeat villain, save people, leave.

He wanted to go back to his Japan, of course.

Beside him, Faye made his 'hue-hue!' noise and smiled at him. "Kuro-sweetie, where do you think we're off to?"

Kurogane grunted. "Back to Japan, I hope." He stole at look at the brats, who were talking quietly as the gate to the next world opened.

"Hm….Japan?" The mage smiled. "To go back to your princess?"

"Yes, to go back to that damn princess." Kurogane snarled, then shut his eyes in the hope of being left alone.

As they arrived in the new world, Kurogane could tell that he liked the place immediately. The trees looked like the ones back home, and the smell of sulfur told him that there might be other similarities, too.

Sakura held her delicate nose in her hands. "Syaoran-kun, do you know what that smell is?"

Syaoran, who was covering his face in a similar way, said, "No, Princess Sakura. I don't think that there was ever anything like this back home."

Faye covered his nose, then decided to just get used to it. Kurogane closed his eyes and breathed it.

"Eww! Kuro-woof-woof likes it!" the silly blonde mage said, laughing and pointing at him.

Mokona joined in. "Eww! But this smells familiar…"

"It's sulfur, from hot springs." Kurogane answered. He started to search the area. "There must be some close by."

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other, and then followed him.

"Faye, should we go with them?" Mokona asked.

"Let them have their fun." The mage looked wistfully at the children and the ninja before setting off in his own direction, straight to the hot springs.

Kurogane soon found that the area EXACTLY matched Japan. The forest looked like one he'd been in before (although he didn't recognize any one part of it): the ground was rocky and hilly, and overgrown trees sprouted from odd locations. The scene reminded him of a few of Princess Tomoyo's ornate carvings, the theme of which was "nature overpowers man".

"Mr. Kurogane?" Sakura asked softly after a few minutes. She was having trouble keeping up with his search.

He glanced back at the 'brats'. "What is it?"

"Um, what are you looking for?"

Kurogane stopped for a moment to explain. "Their should be some natural hot springs around here, like back in Japan."

"Hot springs?"

He didn't want to explain, but…oh, hell. "Hot springs are natural water springs where something in the earth heats the water. I don't know how it works, but it feels great. It's sort of a vacation thing." He felt disgusted simply for telling her that much, so he turned around and continued searching.

Not wanting to let a pleasant conversation die, Syaoran asked, "So, it's like taking a hot bath outside?"

/Uh…/ Kurogane chose to not respond.

Sakura laughed. "Doesn't that mean that you're taking a bath in dirty water?"

Offended, Kurogane growled, "It's not dirty, it's relaxing." The smell was getting stronger.

Syaoran continued. "The hot water makes this smell?"

"Yes. It's sulfur." He spotted the gleam of water, and a very white object in the water…

At first he thought that it was a women because of the whiteness of the skin. He prepared himself to tell Syaoran to cover his eyes, but the thought quickly left his mind as he recognized the person.

"Mage, what are you doing here?"

Faye grinned up at him from the water. "I found the hot springs, Kuro-love." Mokona was floating close to him in the water.

As soon as the kids caught up, Sakura blushed and hid her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Faye, I didn't mean to look!" she said, turning around.

"The damn mage isn't even naked." Kurogane said gruffly.

Faye looked surprised. "Nudity is considered decent in this world?"

"For HOT SPRINGS, yes it is."

Syaoran was aware of the tension. Whether Faye knew it or not (and he probably did), he had somehow insulted the hot springs by leaving his pants on. He didn't want an argument or a battle to be the result.

Faye turned his attention away from Kurogane. "Sakura, it's okay to look. I just took off my shirt."

She still blushed. "Even that…"

"Have you never seen Syaoran with his shirt off before?"

"Mr. FAYE!" Syaoran said. He was surprised that he would ask such a question, as if to imply that Sakura and Syaoran had…well, any kind of relationship.

"Just kidding," Faye said. As Mokona drifted by him, he reached out, spun the manjuu, and sent it spinning across the hot spring across the water's surface.

Kurogane was still upset by the insult of the hot springs. "Why are you in there if you still have clothing on?" He asked, putting all of his anger into the sentence.

Faye tapped his chin and looked up for a moment.

"I mean, you wouldn't get into a bath with yours clothes on, would you?"

"Hmm…maybe it's because my clothes are dirty, too." He answered with his usual fake smile.

"Whatever." He looked past Faye. "Are there any other springs?"

"What for?"

"Isn't that obvious? For the girl to go to."

Faye smiled, ready to launch another attack.

"Why can't she stay here? It's just a big hot bath, right?"

Syaoran blushed madly, Kurogane was at a loss for words, and Sakura covered her face and started to answer, "Oh my, I couldn't, that's, well, Mr. Faye, um, about that…."

"YOU DAMN MAGE! That's such an insult to hot springs!" Kurogane shouted at him.

"Really?" Faye smiled. "Well, that's okay then, because about a kilometer down that way—" he pointed to his right, "there's another one."

Kurogane looked at Sakura. She looked back.

"Are you going to go?"

Syaoran started to think again. "Kurogane, about sending Princess Sakura off by herself…."

Faye finished for him. "Sakura has a habit of finding trouble. One of us should stay with her."

"Mr. Faye, is that really—" Syaoran started again. Then, he shut up.

The men and the boy looked around at each other.

/Kurogane can't possibly go/ Syaoran thought. /And myself…well, I don't have that kind of relationship…./

/Damn girl/ Kurogane thought. /Why does she have to always make things so damn hard/

Faye's thoughts were unreadable as he smiled at Kurogane and Syaoran. He knew what the answer would be.

After a few minutes, Kurogane spat down, "Well, you're such a damn woman that we should just leave her here with you, Faye."

Sakura gasped. "Is that really alright…"

Faye smiled, his eyes sad as usual. "Sakura, think of me as your mom away from home." She nodded. "You are kind of…" then she blushed and decided to shut up, as to not risk insulting him.

Syaoran came closer to Sakura and whispered, "Princess, is this okay?" His eyes were caring as usual, although Sakura didn't understand why.

"Yes, Syaoran-kun." She said, beaming at him.

Kurogane was starting to feel impatient. "Just call for us if anyone comes around, girl."

"Oh, Kuro-honey, we'll scream real loud for you to come save us," Faye said, smiling softly.

Before he had a chance to respond, either to the nicknames or the sheer girlyness that Faye portrayed, the mage dropped his smile a little too much and said rather evenly, "Just kidding."

Kurogane snarled and turned on his heel, dragging the boy with him.

Those last words did not sit well with him, for some reason.


	2. Chapter 2

Just Kidding, Chapter Two

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Note: Okay, I'm gonna use the damn Japanese honorifics. Kiki, you were right…it doesn't flow right.

PS anyone seen the Tsubasa Chronicle movie? I love how Syaoran missed that kick…I can't get over how funny it was.

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Kurogane relaxed in the new hot spring. It wasn't as large as the one that Faye, the girl, and the manjuu were using, but it was alright in its own way. He closed his eyes and hoped that the brat didn't have any questions for him.

Syaoran had his back to Kurogane (partly because he wasn't as comfortable with nudity as Kurogane) and he watched the general direction of the others' hot spring.

"Trying to peep, kid?"

Syaoran blushed. "N-no, Kurogane-san. I just want to make sure that princess Sakura doesn't get hurt." He sighed and propped his head on his hands as he kept up his vigil. "I hope that nothing bad happens over there."

Kurogane knew that Syaoran was worried about Faye and Sakura. He doubted that Syaoran thought that Faye would 'try something'; rather, he didn't want Sakura to feel uncomfortable around Faye, and he didn't want trouble to find her either.

That mage really pissed him off, and in the strangest ways. 'Just kidding'—as if he'd save him either way! Acting like some damn damsel in distress…

He looked up in surprise, as did Syaoran, when they heard noises coming from the 'girl's' hot spring. Kurogane sighed and said, "Damn trouble-causing princess…" while Syaoran looked from his clothes to the hot spring, and back, unsure of whether he should defend Sakura modestly or defend Sakura quickly.

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Faye saw three armed men a short distance from the 'outdoor bath' he was sharing with Sakura and Mokona. He smiled at Sakura and said, "I think we're about to have some company."

Sakura gave him a curious look. "What do you mean, Faye-san?"

He smiled back.

The men approached from behind Sakura. One of them said, "What do we have here? Are you two foreigners?"

Sakura looked at Faye nervously. "Somewhat," he said.

Another scoffed. "Foreigners sure are disgusting. Letting a man and a woman share a hot spring…" he started to look over Sakura's dress, which was soaked through. "And why are the two of you wearing clothes?"

Sakura cowered under his gaze. "Well, in public…"

"It's rather indecent any other way, isn't it?" Faye asked the men. He smiled gently. "Besides, what's wrong with this? We may not follow the customs of your land, but surely we're not breaking any laws."

One of the men caught the sight of Faye's fake smile and decided to do something about his attitude. "Well, there's actually a law here in Japan stating that men and women can't bathe together in public."

Faye touched the side of his face. "Really? My bad."

The man growled. "Well, then," he said, grabbing Sakura's arm and hoisting her out of the water, "we'll just bring her somewhere else."

Sakura looked around. "W-what do you m-mean?" She stared at the guards in horror, still confused, as they started to pull her away. "Syaoran-kun!" she shouted.

Faye sighed. "What _do_ you gentlemen mean?" he asked.

One of the men pulled his sword out (Faye realized that it looked much like Kurogane's sword) and pointed it at Faye. "You can just wait here. We'll give her back soon enough."

"Faye-san!" Sakura said, looking at him for help. He smiled back.

"Don't worry, Sakura."

She looked back at him, confused. She tried to pull away from the man who was holding her, but he tugged back on her wrists.

"F-Faye-san?" she asked again.

He climbed out of the water, and approached the guards, still smiling like nothing was wrong. The armed man who had drawn his sword prepared to attack Faye.

"Just don't ever worry," he said softly.

The guard attacked, and Faye jumped back, side-stepping him and kicking his side. The attack caught the Japanese man off-guard due to Faye's behavior and the strength of the kick. The guard landed in the water, weighed down by his armor.

The man holding Sakura threw her to the ground behind him and both guards drew their swords. His expression still a fake smile, Faye attacked both of them at once.

"Faye-san!" Sakura shouted. She had seen Faye fight, but she only now realized how reckless he could really be.

Faye pushed one of the guards into the pool using his own sword swing, and then narrowly dodged an attack from the last guard. He spun around quickly, watched the guard's feet, judged his attack, and then placed both his hands over the guards and used his opponent's motion to spin them around and to push him into the pool.

By the time that Syaoran and Kurogane arrived, Faye was helping Sakura stand up outside the hot spring, and three armed men were practically drowning in the hot spring due to the weight of their armor.

Faye smiled as the others approached and he said, "Well, that wasn't much fun at all."

Kurogane shot him a strange look and pushed him aside so he could question the men. Faye let himself be pushed and he nearly fell. At the same time, Syaoran looked over the scene. _I didn't reach Princess Sakura in time, _he thought. _If Faye-san hadn't been here…_

As he looked at his princess's face, he saw that she was watching the older men. He didn't ask for her attention, and inwardly reprimanded himself for failing to protect her.

As the three men clambored to get out of the hot spring—or to remove their armor—Kurogane realized just where they were.

He pulled one of them out of the hot spring, looked over his uniform, and asked, "You're from the Japanese guard, aren't you?"

The man coughed up some water and stared up at Kurogane. "You're…..you're Kurogane!" The man suddenly became very nervous. "Uh, yes, Kurogane sir, yes, we belong to the Japanese guard."

"Under Princess Tomoyo?"

The guard nodded. "Of c-course, sir! The dear and wonderful Princess Tomoyo!"

Syaoran, Faye, and Sakura stared at Kurogane as he burst out in laughter.

"I'm back! I'm finally back!"

The other guards had climbed out of the water and greeted Kurogane formally.

"Pleased to meet you, Kurogane, sir!"

"Sorry for any troubles we may have given you!"

Faye smiled at the scene. He smiled when he saw how happy—or murderously excited—Kurogane was when he realized that he was back in his own world. Kurogane didn't see him smile, but he smiled for him anyway.

Kurogane let go of the guard he'd interrogated, and turned back to his 'comrades'. "Come on, I'll make that damn princess put the four of you up for the night."

Mokona appeared out of nowhere, and settled himself on Faye's shoulder. "Kurogane, this is your home?" he asked.

"What the hell do you think?"

"Well, that's good," Faye said softly as he smiled at Kurogane.

Kurogane didn't like that smile—he never liked it. Faye's smiles meant trouble, whether it was Faye playing around with him or Faye hiding some sort of pain.

His attention was torn from the blonde mage when one of the guards said, "K-Kurogane, sir, we'll lead you back to the castle, if you would like!"

Kurogane snarled back, "Of course that's what I'd like! Time to see that damn bitch!"

The guards all looked uneasy hearing him insult their princess, but respectfully kept their mouths shut.

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A short ways into the walk, Faye turned to Kurogane and said, "Hm, Kuro-pipi, you must be pretty important for those men to call you 'sir' like that, and to be so afraid of you."

Kurogane frowned at him. "Of course. I serve Princess Tomoyo directly, the bitch."

"Oooh." Faye's face lit up with surprise, then he smiled. "You call your sovereign some pretty bad things, Kuro-wanwan."

"She's the one who sent me on this damn voyage anyway," Kurogane spat.

Faye looked away. "I see." His eyes looked incredibly sad, but that completely escapted Kurogane.

Meanwhile, Syaoran followed Sakura quietly.

It had been very painful for him to watch Faye defend Sakura from the guards. He had heard the argument in the distance, had understood what the guards intended to do to his pure-hearted, innocent princess. Syaoran wanted to be the one to defend Sakura.

He knew that it was selfish, but he wanted to enjoy the little bit of the relationship he had with Sakura. If there friendship had to be sacrificed as a condition for the opportunity to regain Sakura's memories, then he wanted to be her protector. Syaoran silently punished himself.

After all, Sakura's safety was all that mattered.

He trudged after his Princess, clutching his sword unconsciously. He would definitely protect her the next time, and every time after that.

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	3. Chapter 3

Just Kidding, Chapter Three

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Notes:

Felixia—I chose Kurogane to be loyal but PISSED. You can love your mother very much but curse her out when you're mad. Well, I guess it partially depends on pre-existing relationship dynamics. At any rate, Kurogane is mad at Tomoyo. Thanks for your review!

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"Sir Kurogane!" Tomoyo greeted him in the throne room.

Kurogane folded his arms as he tried his best to glare at his Princess. The mage was standing to the side, attention completely occupied by the fixtures and decorations in the Japanese castle. The brats stood to the other side, their attention politely focused on the Princess.

Tomoyo clapped her hands together. "This is an unexpected surprise! I never thought that the Dimensional Witch would send you back to me so soon!"

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, so soon? I've spent the last few months following these strange people around. I think that it's about time for me to come back already!"

"Well, well," she said, smiling warmly and acting as if she had not heard Kurogane, "I guess that it's fortunate, in a way. You came in time for the festival."

"Festival?" Faye asked. Kurogane was somewhat surprised that he'd decided to join the conversation. The brats kept their mouths shut.

Tomoyo smiled even more widely, the smile that Kurogane knew indicated secretive behavior. "What festival?" the ninja asked. "There's no festival at this time of the year."

"Well, it's a special festival, celebrating my engagement."

Kurogane stared at his Princess. Anyone who saw him would have thought that he was angry about the engagement.

_How could she get engaged while I was gone? Is that what she sent me away for?_

"You're getting married?" Sakura asked excitedly.

Tomoyo nodded, then turned to Kurogane. "Sir Kurogane, would you mind introducing me to your companions?"

"Yeah, sure." He pointed at each member of the crew in turn. "Faye, the mage," he said. Faye smiled at the Princesss and waved. "Syaoran, some kid," he said. Syaoran bowed politely. "Sakura, some princess." Sakura curtsied.

Mokona jumped onto Faye's shoulder. "And this is Mokona!" he shouted, giving his own introduction.

Tomoyo bowed elegantly, and said, "It's nice to meet all of you. I am Princess Tomoyo, and this land is my Japan. Feel free to talk to me or ask of me whatever you need while you stay here." She smiled. "It's very nice to have the opportunity to meet Sir Kurogane's new family."

Kurogane gave a start. "Family? They're not even my friends."

"Oh?" Tomoyo's smile faded somewhat. "Well, that's too bad." She settled herself back down on her throne, and called for a servant.

"Kiyoko can lead you to your rooms," she said as the servant appeared. "I apologize for sending you off already, but I need to return to my duty."

"Princess Tomoyo," Kurogane said, not ready to be sent away again when there was so much to say. "Please tell me about the circumstances of your engagement."

"Oh, that?" she asked, smiling softly. "You don't need to worry so much, Kurogane. He is a good man."

"A good _man_?" he asked. The servant had begun to lead the others out of the room, but Kurogane persisted. "How old is he?"

"Nothing to worry about, Sir Kurogane," she said. "You'll meet him soon enough." She turned her attention to the servant. "Miss Kiyoko, would you please have tea ready for them as soon as they finish bathing?"

"Yes, Princess Tomoyo," the servant said. She bowed, and led Faye, Mokona, and the brats out of the room.

Kurogane didn't move. "I'm not satisfied with this."

"I know." She smiled. "You're not the only person who's unsatisfied right now, Kurogane."

He gave her a brief glare before turning to join his companions.

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"Another big bath?" Faye asked.

Kiyoko had brought them to the bath hall after showing them their rooms and allowing Kurogane and Syaoran to store their swords. She had told them that she would provide all of them with Japanese clothing, as she left.

Kurogane nodded as he looked over the expanse of steaming water in the bath hall. "This is how things are in Japan."

Syaoran stared at the bath. "Not again…" he said under his breath.

"Did you say something, kid?"

"No."

Kurogane gave his male companions a strange look. "I think that there's something wrong with the both of you."

Syaoran said, "I'm sorry about that." An idea suddenly struck him. "I-I need to use the restroom. I'll come back later."

He ran out of the room.

Faye played with the towel around his waist, and said in a soft voice, "I think it's strange that you would so easily share that with anyone else who would want to take a bath at the same time."

Kurogane shrugged, removed his towel, and entered the water. Faye didn't move, which irritated him to no small amount.

He thought about what Faye had said. "Share what?"

"Your body."

"You make it sound like nudity is special."

"Even if nudity is a part of your culture," Faye said, smiling at him now, "isn't it still odd to take off your clothes in the vicinity of people with whom you are not intimate?"

"No, it's normal." Kurogane knew that the mage was trying to piss him off again, like usual. "You were naked when you were born. Your parents were naked when they conceived you. You take your clothes off whenever you bathe or whenever you need to clean your clothes. There's nothing strange about it." He tried to relax, and put his arms over the sides of the bath.

Faye looked away. "Well, I guess that makes me strange, then." He surprised Kurogane by saying, "I will come back later as well." He left quietly.

Kurogane stared at his back as he left. Who would have thought that Faye, who had joked about 'Big Kitty' and 'Big Puppy' and all that crap couldn't handle public bathing? He sighed as he relaxed against the side of the bath.

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Sakura like the big bath. There was no one else on her side, so she was free to swim around. She laughed when she realized that she was acting like a little kid, but she didn't stop swimming either.

There was nothing like THIS back home!

When she finished bathing, she found a pink kimono waiting where she had left her dirty dress. There were also slippers. She put on the garment as best she could and left to explore the castle.

She found Syaoran's room first and knocked on his door.

"I apologize! I'm not dressed!" he shouted from inside his room. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Syaoran-kun!"

There was a brief silence. "Princess Sakura?"

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	4. Chapter 4

Just Kidding, Chapter Four

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Notes:

The new season of Tsubasa Chronicle just started!

And Faye is now Fai. Enjoy.

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"P-Princess Sakura?" Syaoran repeated.

"M-hm!" Sakura affirmed from outside his door. There was a brief pause. "Did you take a bath yet, Syaoran-kun?"

He let his shoulders slump after hearing his title, and he sighed before answering, "No, Princess Sakura, I decided to wait until later to take a bath." With that, he sat down on the floor of his room, waiting for Sakura to finish asking him whatever she wanted to ask him before trying the bathroom again.

"Oh? Well, the baths here are a lot bigger than the ones back home! Or…well, I know they're bigger than the ones in the palace. Have you ever seen the baths in the palace in Clow, Syaoran-kun?"

He had, in fact, seen them many times. When he and Sakura were younger, they had been able to spend much of their free time together, and the king (and later, Touya) often allowed him to use the bathroom in the palace to clean up before returning home.

Syaoran closed his eyes for a moment. _I wish that the Princess could remember these things…things that happened, over and over again, that we were both a part of._

"Syaoran-kun?"

He gave a start, then sat up stiffly and replied, "Yes, Princess Sakura, I have seen the baths in your home before."

She laughed. "Why?"

Why? He had no idea of how to answer that question.

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After his bath, Fai changed into the white-and-blue kimono he'd been given and began to wander about the castle in an aimless fashion. There were guards stationed everywhere, and many of them stared at him in wonder.

Fai had realized that his coloring was unusual in this country, and that this was most likely the reason for most of the stares.

_It might also be because they saw me arrive here with Kuro-chin, too._

He came upon a hall whose walls were lined in glass, and behind the glass were dolls and toys of various natures. Princess Sakura seemed to have found the hall as well, and she was currently sitting on the ground, on her knees, staring at a stuffed bear in wonder.

Upon seeing the blonde mage, Sakura smiled and pointed at the bear. "It's cute, isn't it?" she asked him.

Fai knelt beside her. The bear was an ordinary stuffed animal, brown in color, with a dopey expression on its face. _This kind of thing suits Sakura very well._

He smiled back at the princess, who had turned her attention back to the bear. "I think it would look a little cuter if it had a grumpy expression on its face."

"Really?" Sakura asked him in a puzzled voice. "I don't like grumpy things. I like cute things, like Mr. Bear." She blushed after realizing that she had named a stuffed animal.

"I like Mr. Bear too."

The travelers turned around to see Princess Tomoyo standing behind them in all of her decoration and glory. They both stood, not wanting to act rudely towards Kurogane's princess.

Tomoyo's blue eyes turned to the bear, and she said, "I received Mr. Bear from an old nanny. She made him for me herself, and he was one of my favorite toys." Sighing, she added, "As I grew, though, I found that Mr. Bear was becoming rather worn. I did not like what the castle was doing to him, so I had him put away, hoping that, while he was away from me and away from the dangers of the castle, that some of his old tears would begin to heal."

Fai watched as the regal young woman knelt down, much as Sakura had earlier, and studied the used toy. "But Mr. Bear is made from fabric. He can't heal himself as a human could. It's just my dream that he would be able to go back to the way he was before he met me…that what I have done to him will be undone, and that he will forget the things he was exposed to and become a softer Mr. Bear."

Sakura laughed. "That's so sweet, Princess Tomoyo!"

"Is that a true story?" Fai asked casually.

The Japanese princess turned her blue eyes towards his, and answered, "Yes, it is, Fai-san." She smiled at him, and asked, "Do you think that there is any chance that Mr. Bear can heal himself while I lock him away?"

He studied her young face for a moment, before smiling and turning away.

"Of course not, Princess Tomoyo. He is only a cute toy, after all."

Tomoyo shook her head as Sakura knelt by her again. "I wonder if you mean that, Fai-san," she said softly.

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Kurogane stomped around the castle as he searched for Princess Tomoyo. She wasn't in the throne room, or in the garden…_Where'd that annoying brat Princess go?_

What made matters worse was that his…acquaintances…were nowhere in sight. He'd seen that sneaky mage walking back to the bathing room when he'd left, but he didn't know where the brats were, and most of the maids cowered when he approached them.

He growled. "Where'd those bastards go?"

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"Princess."

Tomoyo turned away from the glass to see one of her attendants standing at the entrance to the hall.

"What is it?" she asked him with a smile.

The man knelt before her before answering. "The Great Kiiragazawa Eriol has arrived, Princess Tomoyo. He is waiting in the--"

As if to prove the attendant wrong, a young man with black hair and glasses walked right past the kneeling man to join Princess Tomoyo and her companions. The Princess stood and allowed the young man to take one of her hands and kiss it.

"Princess Tomoyo, I must apologize," he said. "I could not wait another moment to see you."

"Oh, Eriol," she replied in a fawning tone. "Don't you know that impatient men are annoyances?"

They broke out in laughter together, leaving Sakura to give Fai a questioning look. He smiled back and shrugged.

"It really is a pleasure to see you," Eriol said, not letting go of her hand.

"Have you brought anyone with you?"

"Just Yamazaki." He looked over her shoulder and asked, "Who might these wonderful people be?"

Tomoyo smiled, and he let go of her hand as they turned to Fai and Sakura. "This young woman is Princess Sakura," Tomoyo said, "though now that I think about it, Kurogane never told me what land she is the Princess of."

Eriol's brow lifted elegantly. "Sir Kurogane is back from his travels?"

"You are as surprised as I am," Tomoyo admitted. She turned back to Sakura. "Sakura, this is Prince Eriol, from one of the Western lands."

Sakura curtsied, and Eriol said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess from a foreign land."

Tomoyo held out a hand in Fai's direction. "And this is Fai-san, a man that Kurogane met while he was traveling."

Fai held out a hand and, to his surprise, Eriol shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Fai-san," Eriol said. "I take it that you are not from a land like Japan?"

The mage withdrew his hand and shook his head. "No, I am not."

"I see. In our world, hand-shaking is a custom that is particular to people of the Far West," Eriol explained.

Fai smiled a concealing smile. "How did you know that I was from another world?" he asked softly.

"Tomoyo has told me of the punishment she inflicted on Sir Kurogane," Eriol said. He smiled at his new acquaintances, and, as if a wonderful idea had fallen from the Heavens directly into his brain, he turned back to his fiancée and asked, "Tomoyo, dear, would you like to have a little fun with your ninja?"

Tomoyo, accustomed to Eriol's plotting, smiled back at him and asked, "What kind of fun would that be?"

Fai's eyes widened, and he felt his mouth curl into a genuine smile, as the foreign prince explained his plan. Meanwhile, Sakura brought her hands up to her mouth and giggled in anticipation of her part in this plan.

As if it had been able to understand the events to come, Mr. Bear slumped and fell onto its side behind its glass protection, revealing dirt, stains, and tears on its underside.

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Syaoran sighed as he changed into his green kimono. He retightened the sash a few times before leaving his room. After a brief consideration, he decided to leave his sword in his room. He did not want to insult the palace's guards by showing them that he felt the need to arm himself.

Syaoran had always been blessed with a good memory, so it was quite easy for him to find his way back to the throne room. As he neared the room, he heard shouting and he tried to fumble for his sword.

_No!_

His brown eyes darted back and forth between the room and the hallway he'd come from, and he decided to rush into the throne room, unarmed. He would not let Princess Sakura be hurt.

Surely enough, when he entered the throne room, he found Princess Tomoyo on the floor before her throne, under attack from a young man with black hair, blue eyes, and glasses. Sakura was in a similar state, being held in place by a another young man with black hair and squinty eyes. Both of the princesses were screaming at their captors.

"Go away!"

"Leave us alone!"

The squinty-eyed young man laughed. "We will take over this kingdom! Bwa hah hah!" He winked at Sakura. "Did you know that there are countries on this world in which the normal wedding ceremony for nobles goes like this?"

Sakura blinked. "What?"

The young man roared in laughter again. "Bwa hah hah!" He threw Sakura to the floor and drew his sword.

Adrenaline flooded Syaoran's veins, and he dashed towards the man attacking Sakura. "Get away from Princess Sakura!" he shouted hoarsely. The attacker was caught off-guard for a second, but he recovered quickly and met Syaoran's kick with the sheath of his sword, which he held in his left hand as a 'shield'.

"Is this him?" the attacker whispered to Sakura.

Sakura shook her head.

The squinty-eyed young man looked exasperated then, and Syaoran was entirely confused, but he knew that Sakura was in danger and that was all that he cared about.

"Kurogane!" Tomoyo shouted. "Come save me, Kurogane!"

Syaoran stared at the Japanese princess. _She has other guards, doesn't she?_

His good eye caught the magical staff that the other attacker was holding then, and its owner smirked at him. "Do you think you can save that girl?" he asked as he aimed his staff at Sakura.

Syaoran glared at him and was about to attack him when Kurogane crashed into the room, wielding his sword and wearing clothing similar to what he'd worn in Outo Country.

"Unhand the Princess…'s…right now!" he shouted, branding his katana and glaring at Eriol. The foreign magician smiled back at him, and replied, "No man in this country can defeat me. I shall take the Princess and rule this country with an iron fist."

"No!" Tomoyo shouted. Sakura hid her giggles behind her hand.

As if on cue, Fai rushed into the room. "Kuro-pipi! What's the matter?" Fai shouted, alarmed at the situation before him.

_Enough with the damn names! _"I don't know who these guys are, but it's time that I show them that no one dares to harm Princess Tomoyo!" Kurogane shouted. Fai's blue eyes flicked to his face, and he felt sad, for some reason, when he saw the devoted, passionate look that had overtaken Kurogane's strong face, but he smiled back.

"I'm heading in first, Kuro-wanwan!" he shouted happily as he ran at Eriol.

Kurogane could only stare at his back as the blacked-haired young man turned towards Fai, and his staff began to glow. Syaoran took this opportunity to attack the squinty-eyed kid again, and, to his surprise, his opponent had forgotten about him and fell easily. He took no time to think about this as he lifted Sakura into his arms and began to dash away from the thrones.

Syaoran's conscience caught him at the same time as he heard Fai scream in pain. He spun around to see the blonde mage fall to the floor unconscious, the result of a magical attack dealt by the glasses-wearing attacker. He clutched Sakura to his chest, and she tried to say something to him, but his attention was caught in what was now Kurogane's battle.

Kurogane stared at Fai's incapacitated body before charging at the black-haired mage, who deflected his first sword strike with the shaft of his staff. The ninja easily changed his stance and attacked him again, to find that his opponent had somehow moved entirely out of the range of his long sword and was preparing to use a spell on him.

"Hell no!" Kurogane shouted as he closed the distance between them. Eriol smiled as the ninja approached him, and he quickly spun his staff around.

Kurogane nearly vomited when he ran into the end of Eriol's staff, and he slumped to the floor, cursing himself for falling to a child.

Eriol set his staff to the side and offered Kurogane a helping hand.

"Hello, Sir Kurogane," he said with a smile. "My name is Kiiragazawa Eriol, heir to the throne of China, and Princess Tomoyo's fiancé."

Kurogane stared at him in shock as Fai sat up from his position on the floor. Syaoran stared, too, as the scene around him changed drastically—Princess Tomoyo stood up and walked over to Kurogane, and the squinty-eyed young man he had knocked over stood up as well, rubbing his face where Syaoran had kicked him.

"You can put me down, Syaoran-kun," Princess Sakura said as he clutched her to his chest. He nearly jumped in surprise—he had forgotten that he was holding her—and he set her down.

"I'm sorry, Princess Sakura," he said, lowering his head, "but what is it that happened here?"

She smiled. "We decided to play a little game on Kurogane. I didn't know that you would come too, though."

He stared at her in wonder, and his eyes found Kurogane, who had not moved from his place on the floor.

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